The sudden surge in twins among celebs isn’t a coincidence; infertility afflicts more than 7 million women in the U.S. These famous mamas have not only sought the help of fertility treatments and, in some cases, a surrogate, to help them conceive—they’ve been brave enough to speak openly about it.

Sarah Jessica ParkerOur favorite fictional single girl Carrie Bradshaw may not have wanted kids of her own on Sex and the City, but the real SJP and longtime hubby Matthew Broderick used a surrogate the second time around for twin daughters Marion Loretta Elwell and Tabitha Hodge, little sisters to big bro James Wilkie, who was conceived naturally in 2002. Parker was 44 when the girls were born in June 2009.

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Nicole KidmanThe beautiful redheaded Aussie, wife of country crooner Keith Urban, opened up about her own struggles with infertility after her second biological daughter Faith (younger sib to older sister Sunday, also with Urban), was born in December 2010 using a gestational carrier, when Kidman was 44. "I've had a very, very roller coaster ride with fertility," she told Australia's 60 Minutes. "It has never been easy for me." Kidman suffered an ectopic pregnancy while still married to Mission Impossible star Tom Cruise.

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Elizabeth BanksBanks, 37, is the latest celeb to step forward about her infertility struggles with longtime hubs Max Handelman, a sportswriter and producer whom she met on their first day of college at the University of Pennsylvania. "It was, frankly, the only way my husband and I, who have been together for nearly 20 years, could have a child that was half him and half me. So, for us, it was absolutely the way to go." Son Felix was born in 2011 via a gestational carrier.

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Courteney CoxThe fit and fab Cougar Town star wasn’t shy about her struggles with infertility when she was still married to then-hubby David Arquette; in fact, her real-life infertility struggles became a storyline on Friends between Monica and Chandler. After several miscarriages, Cox finally found success with IVF, which is how they conceived daughter Coco, who was born just days before Cox turned the big 4-0 in June 2004.

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Celine DionThe Titanic singer and her husband Rene Angelil fought infertility for six years before conceiving their first son Rene-Charles in 2001 via IVF (because of low sperm count doctors used ICSI, or Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection, where a single sperm is injected into the egg). Since then, Dion underwent six rounds of IVF and suffered a miscarriage before giving birth to twin boys Eddy and Nelson via C-section in October 2010, at the age of 42.

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Mariah CareyAfter marrying actor and comedian Nick Cannon in April 2008 and suffering a subsequent miscarriage, Carey told Us Weekly that she had begun taking progesterone to help boost fertility and maintain a healthy pregnancy. Cannon told the magazine that Carey also did daily acupuncture treatments “all over her body,” which may have helped her conceive boy-girl twins Moroccan and Monroe (she has denied doing IVF); the babies were born in April 2011, when Carey was 41.

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Marcia CrossThe Desperate Housewives star has confessed to wanting to be a mom so bad that she tried to conceive using a sperm donor, before she wed now-husband Tom Mahoney in 2006. Once married, Cross underwent IVF treatments to conceive fraternal twin girls Savannah and Eden, who were born in February 2007, when Cross was 44.

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Brooke ShieldsThe Calvin Klein model and Suddenly Susan star was an early adopter on the outspoken fertility front, admitting in 2005 that she went through seven rounds of IVF (and suffered a miscarriage) for two years before conceiving daughter Rowan when she was 38. Imagine her surprise, then, when two years later she and husband Chris Henchy conceived naturally. Rowan was born in May 2003, and baby Grier came along in 2005.

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Sherri ShepherdAfter undergoing a couple rounds of fertility treatments and surgeries with her first husband, The View co-host finally found success with in vitro fertilization and conceived boy/girl twins at the age of 38. But at 11 weeks pregnant she had a miscarriage and lost her baby girl. When she was only five-and-a-half months pregnant, son Jeffrey was born premature, at 1 pound, 10 ounces. “It was hard because you go through guilt that something is wrong with you, or maybe you waited too long,” Shepherd told Entertainment Tonight. “It was a lot of shots, a lot of false pregnancies and a lot of tears.”

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Rosie PopeThe Pregnant in Heels reality star suffered a couple of miscarriages before conceiving son J.R. in 2008, naturally. Then the New York-based maternity concierge let viewers into her private struggles with secondary infertility during the first season of her hit Bravo reality show while trying to conceive baby no. 2. “I discovered I had a heart-shaped uterus and after surgery didn't ovulate again,” she told Celebrity Baby Scoop. “After various different medications to try and kick start the engine, it didn't work and we moved to IVF." Pope underwent several rounds of fertility treatments, including three rounds of IVF, resulting in an ectopic pregnancy (aired on the show) that led to her having a fallopian tube removed. She found herself pregnant again (naturally!) with second son Wellington, in February 2011, and is due to have her third, a daughter, this May, at age 31.

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Christie BrinkleyWhile still married to fourth husband Peter Cook, the sunny supermodel and former wife of musician Billy Joel suffered three miscarriages—one after undergoing IVF—before conceiving her third child, daughter Sailor Lee, born in 1998 when Brinkley was 44 years old, reports People.

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Angela BassettAfter seven years getting their groove on aboard the baby-making train, Bassett and actor-husband Courtney B. Vance considered adoption, and even gave IVF a try. But ultimately this famous power couple chose to use a surrogate, and welcomed boy/girl twins in 2006—son Slater and daughter Bronwyn—when Bassett was 47.

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Dixie Chicks’ Emily Robison and Martie MaguireAfter two years of fertility treatments (including IUI and a laparoscopy to find mild endometriosis) and three rounds of IVF, Robison and her then-husband Charlie welcomed son Charles Augustus (“Gus”) in November 2002. Almost two years later the couple decided to go straight to IVF for their second baby, with frozen embryos leftover from her first cycle, but after two failed frozen embryo transfers they ultimately found success with another fresh cycle (they implanted three embryos this time), and twins Julianna Tex and Henry Benjamin were born in April 2005, when Robinson was 35.

Younger sister Martie experienced similar struggles with infertility, trying for three years (with Clomid, IUI, and a laparoscopy to discover a collapsed tube) before attempting IVF with husband Gareth Maguire. On her first cycle they conceived, and twin girls Eva Ruth and Kathleen Emilie (“Katie”) were born in April 2004, when Maguire was 37. Three years later, they went through IVF again to conceive a third daughter, Harper, born in August 2008. "You grow up as a woman…thinking you're going to have a child and that it's just kind of your God-given right to the next step,” Maguire told Good Morning America. “And then when it doesn't happen, you're shocked and saddened, and it's such an emotional journey to go on."

Ultimately, the sisters used their struggles with infertility as inspiration for the Dixie Chicks song “So Hard.”